Secure holster for revolvers

ABSTRACT

A holster to be carried high on the hip and having a trigger guard pocket, a muzzle pocket, and a breakfront flap which cooperate to prevent removal of the revolver from the holster. The breakfront flap is secured in the closed position by a fastening device which is released by the forefinger of the user to initiate the drawing of the revolver from the holster.

United States Patent [191 Theodore Dec. 11, 1973 SECURE HOLSTER FOR REVOLVERS [75] Inventor: Paris Theodore, New York, N.Y.

[73] Assignee: Seventrees, Ltd., New York, N.Y.

[22] Filed: Jan. 3, 1972 [21] Appl. No.2 214,755

[52] US. Cl 224/2 B [51] Int. Cl. F41b 13/04 [58] Field of Search 224/2 B, 2 D, 2 E

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,645,428 2/1972 Angell 224/2 B 3,630,420 12/1971 Bianchi 224/2 B Berns 224/2 B Arth 224/2 B Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner.lerold M. Forsberg Att0rneyl-larvey W. Mortimer et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A holster to be carried high on the hip and having a trigger guard pocket, a muzzle pocket, and a break-- front flap which cooperate to prevent removal of the revolver from the holster. The breakfront flap is secured in the closed position by a fastening device which is released by the forefinger of the user to initiate the drawing of the revolver from the holster.

' 14 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEU 1 I975 SHEU 3 BF 4 SECURE HOLSTER FOR REVOLVERS This invention relates to holsters, and, more particularly, to holsters of the type used by uniformed police officers, guards or the like, who are required to wear their weapons exposed to view and who may find themselves in situations of violence in which attempts may be made to remove their weapons by force or surprise.

A problem of the conventional holsters of the type used by police officers is that they are inadequately secure against possible attempts bypersons other than the wearer to remove the weapon by force or surprise. During the performance of his duties, a police officer may find himself in a potentially dangerous situation, but decide not to draw his weapon in order to avoid provoking violence. In such cases, the police officer may be physically attacked, and his attackers may attempt to forcibly remove his weapon from his holster and possibly use it against him. It is therefore desirable that the holster be sufficiently secure to thwart such attempts. .At the same time, it is important that the weapon be readily accessible to the officer, so that, if the occasion demands it, he can bring it into action with adequate speed to protect himself and the members of the publicwith whose safety he is charged.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a holsterfor revolvers whichis secure against attempts by persons other than the wearer to forcibly remove the weapon.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a holster which allows the wearer to bring the weapon into action with adequate speed.

According to the above and other objects, the present invention provides a holster for revolvers having a muzzle pocket for capturing the muzzle of the weapon, a trigger guard pocket for capturing the trigger guard of the weapon, and a breakfront flap which retains the revolver in engagement with the muzzle and trigger guard pockets to prevent its removal from the holster. The breakfront flap is secured in the closed position by a fastening device which is located so as to be readily released by the forefinger of the wearer when it is desired to draw the weapon from the holster.

An advantage of the holster of the present invention is that it allows the wearer to conveniently draw his weapon when he is seated, as in an automobile, as well as when he is standing.

Other objects and advantages of the present holster will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth, by way of example, the principle of the present invention and the best mode contemplated of carrying out that principle.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the outside of the holster of the present invention carrying a revolver in the secure condition and showing the forefinger of the wearer in position to release the retaining snap.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the holster of FIG. 1 showing the retaining strap in the open position.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the holster of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the breakfront flap in the open position with the muzzle pocket and trigger guard pocket partially broken away.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the holster of FIGS. 1-3 with the revolver pivoted forward about its muzzle as it is drawn from the holster.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the inside of the ho]- ster of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the holster of the present invention taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

Referring in detail to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a belt 1 carrying a holster 2 according to the present invention. The holster 2 rides high on belt 1 so as to carry the revolver 3 so that its grip 4 is exposed and equally accessible to the hand 5 of the wearer whether the wearer is standing or seated, as for example, in a motor vehicle. More particularly, holster 2 preferably carries revolver 3 so that the trigger guard 22 of revolver 3 rides at about the level of belt 1.

In addition, holster 2 preferably rides on belt 1 so that the muzzle of revolver 3 is angled forward as shown. This muzzle-forward cant, sometimes called reverse cant, positions the grip 4 of revolver 3 so that it is readily accessible to the hand 5 of the wearer, but is relatively inaccessible to persons other than the wearer, except possibly a person standing directly behind the wearer. Thus, by holding the grip 4 of revolver 3 in a relatively inaccessible position to persons other than the wearer, the holster 2 of the present invention tends to forestall attempts by persons other than the wearer to remove the revolver 3 by force or by surprise. The holster 2 preferably rides so that the muzzle of the revolver 3 is canted forward at an angle of about 10 to the vertical.

FIG. 1 shows the holster 2 in the closed or secure condition. The breakfront flap 7 is secured in the closed position by the retaining strap 8 which is fastened to the breakfront flap 7 by means of a snap fastener 9 which is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1. A second snap fastener 10, also shown in phantom lines, may be provided to fasten breakfront flap 7 to the body portion 20 of holster 2 for greater security as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter. The construction of holster 2 provides a gap between breakfront flap 7 and body portion into which the wearer may insert his thumb to release snap 10. Snap 10 can be fastened by pressing on the outer surface of retaining strap 8. The snap fasteners 9 and 10 may be of a conventional type such as the commercially available Dot fastener made by the United Carr Fastener Company of New York, N.Y.

In the preferred form of the present invention, the upper portion 12 of breakfront flap 7 is contoured to conceal and protect the hammer of revolver 3. The rear contour 14 of the lower portion 13 of breakfront flap 7 is contoured to coincide with the contour of the body portion 20 of holster 2 so that, to the eye of a casual viewer, the holster 2 will appear to be a conventional Scabbard-type holster. The rear contour 14 of the lower portion 13 of breakfront flap 7 thus disguises the nature and function of breakfront flap 7, thus further reducing the chance that the revolver 3 will be removed by force or surprise from holster 2 by persons other than the wearer.

For similar reasons, a portion 15 of the retaining strap 8 is preferably made of a double thickness of leather so that the snap fastener 9 can be riveted to the inner thickness 15a of leather and thus concealed entirely from view by the outer thickness of leather when the strap 8 is in the closed condition as shown in FIG. 1.

The tip portion 16 of retaining strap 8 extends forward of snap fastener 9, preferably in a manner such that a gap is formed between the tip portion 16 of strap 8 and the upper portion 12 of breakfront flap 7. The

snap fastener 9 can readily be released by pressing or sweeping the forefinger 17 of hand 5 rearward toward snap 9. The wedging action of the forefinger 17 between tip portion 16 of strap 8 and the upper portion 12 of breakfront flap 7 pops the snap open. If the portion of strap 8' is made of a double thickness of leather, the tip portion 16 is preferably an extension of the outer thickness of leather so as to provide a relatively larger gap which can be readily engaged by the forefinger 17. It is also noted that the snap 9 is located so that it can be readily released by forefinger 17 of hand 5 while the third, fourth and fifth fingers of hand 5 maintain a firm grasp on the grip 4 of revolver 3.

Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the holster 2 of the present invention is shown with the snap fastener 9 released and the retaining strap 8 in the open position. One part 90, such as for example the male part of snap fastener 9 is riveted, or otherwise mounted, on breakfront flap 7. The other (female) part 9b of snap fastener 9 is riveted to the inner thickness 15a of retaining strap 8.

If the second snap 10 (shown in dashed lines) remains fastened, the breakfront flap 7 will remain secured in the closed condition as shown in FIG. 2, thus preventing the revolver 3 from being removed from holster 2. In order to confuse persons other than the wearer, the second snap 10 is also preferably concealed from view when the holster 2 is in the condition shown in FIG. 2. This may readily be accomplished by providing that the leather of the upper portion 12 overlaps the leather of lower portion 13 of breakfront flap 7 in the area of snap 10 so that one part 10a of the snap 10 can be riveted to the lower portion 13 and concealed from view by the upper portion 12.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, the holster 2 of the present invention is shown with both snaps 9 and 10 released and both retaining strap 8 and breakfront flap 7 in the open condition to expose the body portion of the holster 2. The body portion 20 includes a trigger guard pocket 21 which is partially broken away to show the trigger guard 22 of the revolver 3. The trigger guard pocket 21 engages the root portion 23 of the trigger guard 22 and thus effectively prevents the revolver from being pulled upward out of holster 2 when trigger guard 22 is in position within trigger guard pocket 21, as shown in FIG. 3.

The body portion 20 of holster 2 preferably also includes a muzzle pocket 25 which is partially broken away in FIG. 3 to show the muzzle 26 of the revolver 3. The muzzle pocket 25 prevents the muzzle 26 of revolver 3 from moving forward and thus effectively prevents the revolver 3 from being pivoted in a clockwise direction about trigger guard 22 and thus pulled out of holster 2 in the rearward direction when the holster 2 is in the open condition, as shown in FIG. 3. The trigger guard pocket 21 and muzzle pocket 25 also cooperate to substantially prevent the revolver 3 from being pulled side-ways out of holster 2. However, the wearer may readily remove the revolver 3 from holster 2 by pivoting it in a clockwise direction about its muzzle 26 so as to disengage the trigger guard 22 from trigger guard pocket 21 as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter.

The muzzle pocket 25 is preferably provided with one or more drainage ports in order to allow water to freely drain from the holster 2, thus avoiding possible damage to revolver 3.

In the preferred form of holster according to the present invention, the forward portion 27 of the body 20 of holster 2 curls around the barrel 28 and top strap 29 of the revolver 3 so as to retain the revolver 3 in the position shown in FIG. 3 by virtue of the stiffness of the leather of which the body portion 20 is made. It will be appreciated, however, that the retaining force of the forward portion 27 of the holster body portion 20 can easily be overcome by the correct forward pivoting action of the revolver 3 as described above.

FIG. 4 of the drawings shows the revolver 3 partially withdrawn from holster 2 of the present invention. More particularly, revolver 3 has been pivoted clockwise about its muzzle 26 to disengage its trigger guard 22 from the trigger guard pocket 21 of the holster 2. The movement of revolver 3 has caused the forward portion 27 of the holster body 20 to uncurl and thus free the barrel 28 and top strap 29 of revolver 3, as shown in FIG. 4. From this point, the revolver 3 may simply be brought up to aiming level and used in the normal manner.

To return the revolver 3 to holster 2, the muzzle 26 is inserted into muzzle pocket 25 and the revolver 3 is pivoted in the counter-clockwise direction to seat trigger guard 22 into trigger guard pocket 21 as shown in FIG. 3. Breakfront flap 7 is then closed as shown in FIG. 2, and snap 10 is fastened at the option of the wearer. Finally, the retaining strap 8 is moved to the closed position shown in FIG. 1 and the snap 9 is fastened by pressing the two parts 9a and 9b together.

With the holster 2 in the closed condition as shown in FIG. 1, the snap 10 may be fastened or open depending upon the degree of security or accessibility desired by the wearer. If, for example, the wearer of the holster 2 finds himself in a situation which requires a maximum of security for his weapon, he might decide to fasten snap 10 in order to absolutely prevent the weapon from being removed from the holster, even by the wearer himself. On the other hand, if the wearer of the holster 2 finds himself in a situation which might require him to draw his weapon, he would open snap 10 in advance so that he would be able to draw his weapon in the manner described above in connection with FIGS. l-4.

Referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawings, there is shown a side elevation view of the inside of the holster 2 of the present invention. A belt loop 31 is mounted on belt platform 33 and inside portion 34 of holster 2 for engaging a belt not shown in FIG. 5. A belt stationing snap 2 may be provided in order to fasten the belt loop 31 of holster 2 to the belt. One part of snap 32 is riveted to the belt loop 31 and the other part of snap 32 is riveted to the belt.

FIG. 6 of the drawings is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 1 which reveals some of the details of construction of the preferred form of holster according to the present invention. The body portion 20, trigger guard pocket 21, muzzle pocket 26, belt platform 33, and the upper portion 12 of breakfront flap 7 are preferably made of a single piece of leather. The inside portion 34, the belt loop 31, and the lower portion 13 of breakfront flap 7 are preferably formed from a second piece of leather. Both pieces of leather are preferably vegetable tanned top grain cowhide of 7 to 9 02. weight. The stitches 35 shown in FIGS. 1-5 are preferably lock stitches made with high strength stitching cord, approximately four stitches to the inch, beginning and ending in zero-tension areas.

While the principle of the present invention has been illustrated by reference to a preferred embodiment and modifications thereof, it will be appreciated that other modifications and adaptations of the present holster can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth with particularity in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A holster for revolvers comprising:

a body portion for enclosing at least a portion of a revolver, said body portion including a trigger guard pocket for engaging the trigger guard of the revolver;

a breakfront flap connected to said body portion and extending around the barrel and top strap of the revolver, from inside to outside, to retain the trigger guard of the revolver in engagement with said trigger guard pocket when said breakfront flap is in the closed position, and for permitting the revolver to be drawn from said holster when said breakfront flap is in the open position; and

releaseable fastening means for fastening said breakfront flap in the closed position.

2. The holster of claim 1 further comprising a muzzle pocket for engaging the muzzle of the revolver so as to prevent the revolver from being drawn from said holster in the rearward direction but to allow the revolver to be drawn from said holster in the forward direction when said breakfront flap is in the open position.

3. The holster of claim 2 further comprising a drainage port adjacent the bottom of said muzzle pocket.

4. The holster of claim 1 further comprising a strap connected to said body portion of said holster and arranged to overlie the outer surface of said breakfront flap when said breakfront flap is in the closed position, said releasable fastening means being operative to fasten said strap to said breakfront flap.

5. The holster of claim 4 wherein said releaseable fastening means is located in a position where it can be released by the forefinger of the wearer while the third, fourth and fifth fingers of the wearer grasp the grip of the revolver.

6. The holster of claim 5 wherein said releaseable fastening means is located in the area of said holster overlying the area between the upper portion of the trigger guard and the lower portion of the cylinder of the 7. The holster of claim 5 wherein said releaseable fastening means comprises a snap fastener having two complementary parts, the first part of said snap fastener being mounted on the outer surface of said breakfront flap and the second part of said snap fastener being mounted on the inner surface of said strap to engage said first part of said snap fastener and thereby retain said breakfront flap in the closed position.

8. The holster of claim 7 further comprising a second snap fastener having two complementary parts, the first part of said second snap fastener being mounted on the outer surface of said body portion of said holster and the second part of said second snap fastener being mounted on the inner surface of said breakfront flap for cooperation with said first part of said second snap fastener to retain said breakfront flap in the closed position.

9. The holster of claim 1 wherein the contour of said breakfront flap coincides with the contour of said body portion of said holster.

10. The holster of claim 1 further comprising a belt loop mounted on said body portion of said holster so that the muzzle of the revolver carried by said holster is canted forward.

11. The holster of claim 10 wherein said belt loop is mounted on said body portion of said holster so that the barrel of the revolver carried by said holster is canted forward at an angle of about 10 to the vertical.

12. The holster of claim 10 further comprising releaseable fastening means for fastening said holster to a predetermined station on the belt of a wearer.

13. The holster of claim 12 wherein said releaseable fastening means comprises a first complementary part of a snap fastener mounted on the inner surface of said belt loop for engagement with a second complementary part of said snap fastener mounted at a predetermined station on the belt of the wearer.

14. The holster of claim 2 wherein a forward portion of said body portion of said holster extends around the top strap of the revolver, from outside to inside. 

1. A holster for revolvers comprising: a body portion for enclosing at least a portion of a revolver, said body portion including a trigger guard pocket for engaging the trigger guard of the revolver; a breakfront flap connected to said body portion and extending around the barrel and top strap of the revolver, from inside to outside, to retain the trigger guard of the revolver in engagement with said trigger guard pocket when said breakfront flap is in the closed position, and for permitting the revolver to be drawn from said holster when said breakfront flap is in the open position; and releaseable fastening means for fastening said breakfront flap in the closed position.
 2. The holster of claim 1 further comprising a Muzzle pocket for engaging the muzzle of the revolver so as to prevent the revolver from being drawn from said holster in the rearward direction but to allow the revolver to be drawn from said holster in the forward direction when said breakfront flap is in the open position.
 3. The holster of claim 2 further comprising a drainage port adjacent the bottom of said muzzle pocket.
 4. The holster of claim 1 further comprising a strap connected to said body portion of said holster and arranged to overlie the outer surface of said breakfront flap when said breakfront flap is in the closed position, said releasable fastening means being operative to fasten said strap to said breakfront flap.
 5. The holster of claim 4 wherein said releaseable fastening means is located in a position where it can be released by the forefinger of the wearer while the third, fourth and fifth fingers of the wearer grasp the grip of the revolver.
 6. The holster of claim 5 wherein said releaseable fastening means is located in the area of said holster overlying the area between the upper portion of the trigger guard and the lower portion of the cylinder of the
 7. The holster of claim 5 wherein said releaseable fastening means comprises a snap fastener having two complementary parts, the first part of said snap fastener being mounted on the outer surface of said breakfront flap and the second part of said snap fastener being mounted on the inner surface of said strap to engage said first part of said snap fastener and thereby retain said breakfront flap in the closed position.
 8. The holster of claim 7 further comprising a second snap fastener having two complementary parts, the first part of said second snap fastener being mounted on the outer surface of said body portion of said holster and the second part of said second snap fastener being mounted on the inner surface of said breakfront flap for cooperation with said first part of said second snap fastener to retain said breakfront flap in the closed position.
 9. The holster of claim 1 wherein the contour of said breakfront flap coincides with the contour of said body portion of said holster.
 10. The holster of claim 1 further comprising a belt loop mounted on said body portion of said holster so that the muzzle of the revolver carried by said holster is canted forward.
 11. The holster of claim 10 wherein said belt loop is mounted on said body portion of said holster so that the barrel of the revolver carried by said holster is canted forward at an angle of about 10* to the vertical.
 12. The holster of claim 10 further comprising releaseable fastening means for fastening said holster to a predetermined station on the belt of a wearer.
 13. The holster of claim 12 wherein said releaseable fastening means comprises a first complementary part of a snap fastener mounted on the inner surface of said belt loop for engagement with a second complementary part of said snap fastener mounted at a predetermined station on the belt of the wearer.
 14. The holster of claim 2 wherein a forward portion of said body portion of said holster extends around the top strap of the revolver, from outside to inside. 